The Governance Committee of Havering Council met on Thursday 11 June 2026. The meeting's agenda included the appointment of representatives to various external organisations and a review of the council's constitutional arrangements.

Appointments to Other Organisations 2026/27

A significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to be dedicated to considering appointments to a range of external organisations for the municipal year 2026/27. The report pack indicated that the committee was authorised to make appointments to non-executive positions, while for executive appointments, the committee would recommend to the Leader of the Council.

The report detailed a list of organisations requiring council representation. These included bodies such as the CEME (Centre for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence), East London Waste Authority, London Councils, and the Local Government Association. For each organisation, the report outlined the number of appointees required and, where applicable, the specific executive members or officers designated for those roles. For non-executive appointments, the report listed current members and indicated vacancies.

The committee was also scheduled to consider recommendations regarding the exercise of voting rights at the General Assembly of the Local Government Association. Previously, the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition had shared these votes, but a decision in August 2020 had allocated all five votes to the Leader. The committee was asked to ratify this arrangement for the forthcoming year.

A specific item on the agenda concerned the Poyntz Charity, a local organisation that administers benefits for the poor and manages two almshouses in North Ockendon. The council appoints three trustees to this charity. The report noted that the Parish Priest of St Mary Magdalene's, North Ockenden, serves as the ex-officio Chair, but the position was currently vacant. The report also highlighted that the charity had been unable to meet due to the resignation of its secretary and a lack of active committee members, leaving its future uncertain. The committee was asked to note this situation.

Constitutional Review

The meeting was also scheduled to address aspects of the council's constitution. While the provided documents did not detail specific constitutional items for discussion on this date, a previous meeting of the Governance Committee on 10 March 2026 had discussed proposed revisions to the constitution. These revisions included dividing the Access to Information Procedure Rules into two parts, introducing a staff representative on the Pensions Committee, revising the Contract Procedure Rules, and simplifying arrangements for Member Code of Conduct complaints. Changes to the management structure were also noted, with the Appointments Sub-Committee to focus on higher-level appointments (grade G14 and above). Furthermore, the sign-off of council policies and strategies was to be reallocated to various council officers and elected members, with a list of council policies potentially to be presented to a future Governance Committee meeting. The report pack for the 11 June meeting did not contain further details on the constitutional review for this specific meeting.

The principles of conduct in public office, as outlined in the Localism Act 2011, were also presented in the report pack. These principles include selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership, aiming to ensure that holders of public office act in the public interest and maintain public confidence.